Prayagraj: One person died and seven others, including toll plaza employees, were injured after an LPG tanker rammed into a toll plaza, overturned and exploded on the Prayagraj-Kanpur highway in Kaushambi district on Friday morning, police said.Superintendent of Police Satyanarayan Prajapat said the tanker driver was killed. Of the seven injured, five are undergoing treatment at SRN Hospital in Prayagraj, while two were discharged after first aid.Hospital sources said four of the injured are in very critical condition, having sustained over 80% burn injuries. The injured have been identified as Alok (27), Krishnpal (23), Heramani Singh (29), Atul (30) and Anil Kumar (30).According to Kaushambi police, the accident occurred around 7 am at the Sihori Toll Plaza, nearly 16 km from the district headquarters. The tanker was travelling from Kanpur towards Pratapgarh when it reportedly went out of control while attempting to overtake another vehicle. It hit the road divider, overturned and crashed into the toll plaza.Gas began leaking soon after the collision, triggering a powerful explosion that engulfed the tanker and parts of the toll plaza in flames. Thick black smoke and towering flames were visible from nearly 2 km away, bringing traffic on both sides of the highway to a standstill.The blaze quickly spread to the toll plaza yard and an adjoining toilet block, reducing 16 motorcycles and two cars to ashes.Eyewitness Sanjay Nirmal, a toll employee, said the road was wet following light rain about 10 minutes before the incident. “Suddenly the tanker crashed with a loud noise. Gas started leaking, and within moments the entire area was engulfed in flames,” he said.The SP said fire brigade units and police personnel brought the blaze under control. Officials from the district supply office and a technical team have been asked to investigate the exact cause of the accident.
